Familiar Taste of Poison
by theinukami
Summary: Unable to remember, unable to die, with no choice but to keep moving through life. Her soul is in tatters, slowly eating away at her like poison in her veins. But as her past begins to unravel and she questions who she once was, she wonders... would she even mind letting the poison consume her?
1. Moving Forward

**Author's Notes:**

 **So its been a while since I wrote FanFiction. This is a rewrite/restructure of an old fic I took down a while back. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and so here we are, with a new account and me attempting to get back in the rhythm of writing. Hope you like it~**

 **I plan to post once a week on either Monday or Tuesday, since those are my days off for now. It might change if my work schedule changes. I will keep you posted!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter One: Moving Forward.**_

* * *

Staring ahead, his eyes focused upon nothing in particular. Usually, he was not one to simply waste time. His travels may appear to be nonsensical, as if he traveled on a whim.

But everything he did had a purpose. Waste was not something he approved of. He could not afford to stop moving, to stop pushing himself along. The Vagabond Lord, some called him. He cared not for their opinions. They knew his reasons, what had led him to become… _this_.

Cold, calculated, power hungry. _This_ is what he had become. He willed his demeanor to become like marble, only in order to hide the cracks within. But today, it felt as if those cracks were throbbing within him, like a festering wound. Two hundred and fifty years had passed from that very day which broke him, and his gnarled, shredded spirit could not handle the pain.

So here he sat, wasting time, trying to ignore the ache that will never go away.

But he must keep moving, to become better, stronger than he is. He must prove himself worthy. It's never enough, though. He can never be enough.

Because she was already dead, and he could never bring her back.

* * *

"Inuyasha…"

"Don't start, wench."

"Just admit it. We're lost!"

An irritated growl made the others inwardly groan. _Here we go again…_

Spinning around to confront the girl, the dog-eared Hanyou appeared to almost bristle defensively. "Look who's talking! You were the one that was insisting there were jewel shards this way! We wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere otherwise!"

Stomping forward, a finger was jammed in the Hanyou's face. "You were the one who insisted we go off trail to get through the woods faster! You _insisted_ you knew what you were doing! And it's not my fault the jewel shards just _vanished_!"

Before Inuyasha could snap again, another member stepped forward, the monk diplomatically trying to avoid another fight from escalating out of control. "Now, now, no need to fight. We are all just a bit tired from traveling for so long." Turning his attention to the silently pouting girl, he calmly asked, "Kagome, what do you mean the shards vanished? Did they travel out of range?"

Willing herself to calm down, the miko shook her head tiredly. "No, like… one minute I could see it, the next… it was like it was snuffed out. I thought maybe I just lost track of them, but it's been ten minutes and I still haven't found them again."

As the implications settled on them, everyone shared a look. The group's other female, Sango, stepped up, a serious look on her face. "Could this be Naraku?"

"Possibly," Miroku replied, equally as solemn. "He does seem to have the ability to hide shards."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Inuyasha chastised them. "We need to get going!"

He began to take off, heading in a random direction, but before anyone could stop him, a small figure came flying out of the woods with a childish battle cry. Inuyasha stood stunned, having moved to block the attack, to only gain a small girl hanging from his arm, tiny claws digging through his robe.

Silence reigned on the group, all staring in confusion at the tiny child that was very easily noticed to not be human. Or, at least, not fully human... Tiny little animal ears popped through a head of shaggy ebony hair. Violet pupils with catlike slits quickly morphed from victorious pride to abject horror as she realized who she had launched herself at.

Dropping to the ground, she began pleading at a mile a minute, speaking so fast that they could barely understand the apologies and begging not to hurt her. Inuyasha just looked equally as panicked as the little girl began to cry, his head whipping back and forth between the child and Kagome, silently begging the miko for help.

But Kagome was already moving to drop at the little girl's side, quietly crooning and softly assuring her. "Hey, shhh, no its fine, we aren't going to hurt you…" When the little girl's cries melted into soft sniffles, Kagome gave her a brilliant smile. "My name is Kagome, can you tell me your name?..."

Rubbing a tiny fist against her eye, the little girl mumbled, "Its Kita…"

Before Kagome could speak, she felt something swiftly crawling up her back, only to find a familiar little Kitsune perched on her shoulder. "Hiya! My name is Shippo." Grinning mischievously, his tail whipping back and forth in unhindered excitement. "Nice job jumping Inubaka here: the look on his face was hilarious!"

"Oi! Watch it, runt!"

Knowing he was safe so long as he remained perched on the miko's shoulder, he childishly stuck his tongue out at the Hanyou, ignoring the growls before turning his attention back to the little girl who was trying in vain to smother her giggles. The giggles were cut off by a sharp gasp as a small mew came from her side, looking down to see the group's little firecat pressed against her hip, purring softly. Sango grew a wistful smile and chuckled. "Kirara seems to like you."

Carefully placing a hand on top of the cat's head, the girl gently scratched between the firecat's ears. "She's like me…"

Kagome perked up at that. "You are a cat demon?"

Her shoulders stiffened, worry in her eyes, but before she could speak, Inuyasha gruffly announced, "She's hanyou, like me."

And suddenly, all the stiffness left the little girl's shoulders, giving a look of adoration and awe to the rest of the group. Despite his gruffness, Kagome sent him a warm look, happy that he had spoke up. He knew that the girl was nervous about revealing her heritage to humans, and his remark pushed away any concerns she might have about them judging her.

But as the situation began to sink in, Kagome found herself with dozens of questions, weighing them all carefully in her mind. Who was this child? What was she doing in the middle of the woods? As far as the group knew, there were not any other villages nearby…

Unfortunately, she did not get a chance to ask before a figure burst out of the foliage, growling lowly.

"Hands off that child."


	2. Lost

**Author's Note:** **I have no impulse control so here is another chapter that I meant to stock pile.**

* * *

 **BabiBunchez - Thank you for fueling my lack of impulse control lmao 3**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two: Lost.**_

* * *

A deep sigh rumbled through his frame, his body seeming to go slack as he leaned back against the tree. Hunting had never been his forte, nor had it ever truly been the forte of any of his kind. Dragons were rarely known for being masters of stealth and patience, with their intentions leaning towards seeing what they want and taking it. Not to say he could not hunt at all, but never have his kills been considered… _clean_.

But then there was _her_.

Amber eyes glanced over her shoulder, narrowing in disapproval at his sigh. Years of trailing after her during her hunts had taught him that she held no tolerance for sound, wanting nothing to risk giving away their position. He knew he would be scolded later, but a sly smirk met her irritated gaze.

He should not be pushing his luck: she could easily decide to not allow him to trail after her, and he inwardly grimaced at the thought. What he lacked in stealth and patience, she had in spades: the demoness had her hunt down to a perfected art form, and he reveled in watching her process.

Muscles tightened as she pressed herself low to the ground, his eyes eagerly traced her movements, the graceful discipline of an inu paired with the feral drive of an ookami. The mix of the two made a beautifully dangerous combination…

A combination that he knew as Sachiko.

She had opted to leave her hair loose, the dark, metallic sheen trailing down her back to spill onto the forest floor. The dull blue haori and fitted pants looked old and worn, but the demoness never cared: she was comfortable and the piece was not falling apart, so she would wear it till it did so. She never did care about her appearance, preferring practicality over all else.

If he had his way, she would be dressed as the treasure he knew her to be.

But he held his tongue, simply declaring this quirk as one he would deal with just to stay in her good graces. He would not risk loosing her by pushing her to be someone she is not… he would not make that mistake again.

Atop her head, tall, pointed ears twitched at the slightest of sounds, and peeking out beneath her robes, a tail gently swung in eager anticipation. Unlike other higher demons like himself, she was not one to waste energy on maintaining her human appearance. She found the effort a waste, so she remained in this middle ground form, much like the kitsune.

Both had practical reasons for this choice, however: Kitsune saved and channeled the spare energy for their tricks and illusions, not caring about maintaining the illusion in their downtime. Sachiko, however, saved this energy for certain… _skills_ of hers…

As she sprung into action, and approving rumble rolled through his throat as she took down the buck with ease. Not a bit of blood spilt on her clothes, the kill had been excessively clean and efficient, the beast likely not even feeling claws in his throat.

Crouching over her kill, she did not hesitate to start moving the cooling corpse, intent to drain and gut it. "You've been acting odd today, Ryu-chan."

Chuckling to himself as he approached her, he brushed off the nickname. He only allowed her the lenience to call him as such. "Just lost in thought."

"Care to elaborate?"

His eyes watched intently as she held out her hand, him knowingly handing her the rope she had asked him to bring. With a practiced motion, she swiftly tied the back two legs of the massive buck together before leaping into the tree, hoisting the buck up to hang it above the ground. Moving to sit the spare bucket beneath the buck, he commented, "Its the anniversary... of the day you forgot."

Her feet hit the ground without a sound, her eyes regarding him softly. "Oh…" Trying to distract herself with slitting the arteries in the throat, holding the head in the best way for the blood to drain into the bucket, she could not stop from asking, "How many years has it been?..."

"Two hundred and fifty."

A humorless laugh came out of the inu-ookami, her usually vibrant eyes dulling. "You'd think I would remember by now…"

His heart clenched, unable to look at her. _How do I live with myself…_ For so long, he did not tell her. He knew if she knew the truth, he would lose her… but if she found out what he had done to keep her…

Before he could respond, someone could be heard crashing through the forest. Skidding to a halt in their little clearing, the leopard youkai, Hakashi, fell to his knees, panting. "Sa…Sachiko-sama… please…"

Forgetting about her kill, Sachiko dropped to the ground and kneeled in front of the youkai, taking his shoulders as she stared at him in worry. "What happened?"

Worry shining in the demon's eyes, he pleaded, "Kita...Kita is missing. Some of the other children said she wanted to go hunting... I can't find her scent though, we think she took one of the masking bracelets."

Frowning, Sachiko swore under her breath. "We need to keep those under better watch…" Shaking her head, she remarked, "I will find her. I can track my imprint on the bracelet." Glancing over at the silent dragon, he simply nodded his head, urging her to go. He knew that time was of the essence, and he was decent enough at preparing kills to finish what she started.

He was rewarded with an appreciative smile. She gave Harashi an encouraging squeeze of his shoulder before rising up and darting off into the woods. The dragon simply rolled his shoulders and set about cleaning the kill.

Staring off after the inu-ookami, Harashi murmured, "Once again, I find myself indebted to her..."

"She tends to have that effect."

The leopard kept his gaze off the dragon youkai, and in return, the dragon did not bother glancing at him. None of the village had ever been completely comfortable around him, his aura being too large and foreboding, but he did not mind. No one ever treated him disrespectfully, and they all understand that the only reason he stayed was for Sachiko.

Knowing that she would find his little Kita, the leopard composed himself as best he could, offering to assist in cleaning the kill, being more delicate than the dragon. The little girl would not be lost for long. Sachiko had a knack for finding things that are lost, claiming them and 'collecting' them, as the village would lightly tease her for with each new member she brought home.

It was sad that she was the most lost of them all.


	3. Taking a Chance

**Author's Notes:** **This was supposed to be updated yesterday, but my internet suddenly decided that it would load any site BUT this one.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three: Taking a Chance.**_

* * *

Over the past year of traveling, the Inutachi had become quite skilled at detecting threats and staying on alert. Even if one member was distracted, between the two reiki users, rarely did a threat manage to sneak up on them.

So it came as a shock to suddenly have an angry demoness burst on the scene, especially since Kagome thought that the more upset a youkai was, the more their youki would flair. Yet she could not sense any bit of youki, despite the female clearly being youkai between her tail and ears… and growling. Very non human-esque growling...

And then the fact that they had _three_ members of youkai blood. Surely they should have scented her incoming… to which Shippo whispered in her ear, "I can't smell her…"

Inuyasha huffed. "Yeah, the kid doesn't have a scent either."

The demoness seemed done with the conversation and moved to lunge, only to have little Kita come dashing forward. "Wait, Sachiko-sama! They are nice people!"

Still eyeing the group skeptically, the demoness, Sachiko, darted forward and scooped up the child, cradling her close and checking for injuries, all while keeping an eye on the group. "What happened?"

The stern tone seemed to have the little girl wilt a bit as she mumbled, "I… just wanted to impress you by hunting something… and I accidentally stumbled onto to them…"

Eyes softening, Sachiko seemed to forget about the group watching on, or had decided that they simply were not a threat. "Kita…" Rumbling softly while she nuzzled the child's cheek, she lightly scolded, "I admire your determination, but you mustn't run off like that. You only make your pack worry." Then with a sly smile, she added in a conspiring voice, "Do not tell the others, but I am impressed that you managed to steal one of my bracelets from the armory. A master of stealth you will certainly become one day!"

The girl brightened considerably at the praise and wrapped the elder demoness in a tight hug. "I will not sneak off again without telling someone, I promise."

"Good." Seeming satisfied, she finally turned to the group, offering a casual smile. "I thank you for watching over our little Kita. She had us worried, and she is fortunate to have stumbled upon friendly strangers. These woods are not always kind."

Stepping forward, Kagome warmly commented, "It was nothing, really. She's a sweet kid, and I'm glad she wasn't hurt."

Blinking in what seemed to be surprise, Sachiko commented, "You are a miko." At the girl's surprise, she added, "You practically bleed reiki. I haven't encountered someone of this power before. And that you are kind to youkai…" Glancing between Inuyasha and Shippo, she asked, "Do you have a place to stay for the night?"

"Umm…" Rubbing the back of her head, Kagome mumbled, "We were planning on camping… we haven't seen a village in days."

Sachiko seemed lost in thought, as if debating in her mind, up until the little child whispered, "Please!" in her ear. The demoness sighed and smiled ruefully at the little girl. "Ryu-chan is going to scold me for this…" Turning to walk away with Kita still securely wrapped in her hold, she called out, "My village isn't far away. If you behave, you are welcome to stay as honored guests." Then she continued walking, leaving the offer hanging in the air.

A glance was shared between the Inutachi, all conveying slight concern but excitement at the prospect of not resorting to camping. Before Inuyasha could even get a moment to speak, Kagome snipped, "I want real food and a roof, and I will S-I-T you till I get it."

And so they followed the demoness, hoping that this decision would not come back to haunt them.


End file.
